Baby Sleep Help - Natalie's Response

Mum Zone's resident Sleep Expert Natalie of Sleep and Settle is available to answer some of your questions about settling your baby and more.

Topics include: Sleeping and settling, moving from bassinette to cot, cot to bed, breastfeeding/formula, solids, floorplay for babies and play for toddlers/children, wrapping/sleeping bags/dressing baby, behaviour/tantrums, what's normal? bedroom environments, music, lights, entertainment, mattresses, mattress protectors, sheets, unsettled babies and the 0-12 week afternoon arsenic hours, reflux/colic, teething, worms, toilet training, night terrors/nightmares, the older child issues 5-10 years and single parenting/separation/divorce.

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Reader's Question

My 4 month old son has trouble self settling. It can take up to 2 hours to get him to sleep. If I pick him up he settles and starts to fall asleep, I'm trying to get him to bed awake and to sleep on his own but he doesn't seem to want to do so. For some reason if he wakes in the night for a feed he goes into bed after and gets himself off to sleep with no drama but every other sleep is horrible. No matter if I get him at the first tired sign or the last he fights going to sleep with every ounce of energy he has... At night we do the same thing, play, bath, bottle and bed (room with a night light on only) but still no results.

Natalie's Response

I appreciate that the going to bed process is frustrating for you. There are many area's to consider in helping your baby feel happy at bed time.

Consider:

• Ready for bed? Is your baby really ready for bed? You mention that you are putting him down at the first tired sign, but this may be too soon or too late. Babies can trick us with their tired signs. Look for at least three of the following: clenched fists, jerky soldier type movements, whinging, yawning, red eye brows and/or red eyelids, staring, no movement lying very still occasionally moving the head from one side to the other. Once you see a collection of these tired signs you have 3-5 minutes to get baby into bed.
  
  
• Had enough uptime? At 4 months your son's approx uptime for feeding and playing is 1.5-2 hours each time. While your baby may display individual tired signs in the uptime only look for the collection of tired signs in the last 30 minutes of the uptime and then put to bed.
  
  
• Bedroom environment encouraging sleep? Is your baby's room too light? Is baby wrapped and tucked in tightly to reduce stimulation of themselves? Is your baby's room sleep inducing and serene? I would turn off the night light. Night lights interfere with the babies circadian rhythms and get their days and nights confused. Do you have background music on the cover household noises?
  
  
• Does baby have reflux or colic pain preventing them from going to sleep comfortably and baby only feels comfortable in your arms?
  
  
• Are they still hungry and not feeding efficiently or having enough floorplay in the daytime to get tired?
  
  
• Do you feel comfortable and confident with your settling routine? If you are anxious or nervous at sleep time baby may respond by not cooperating with you and crying until picked up. If you are confident that baby is ready for bed and you feel comfortable with the settling strategy then baby will respond positively (assuming the crying is behavioural not medical).
  
  
• If you would appreciate confidence, a plan and a back up plan for your self-settling strategy see www.sleepandsettle.com.au

Happy sleeping,

Natalie

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The opinions expressed on these pages are of a general nature and are by no means a substitute for professional advice. Therefore neither Mum Zone or Natalie Ebrill of Sleep and Settle are liable for any actions pertaining to the use of the supplied information.